Shettima says Africa’s UN Security Council exclusion is unjust

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has said Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council undermines the fairness and legitimacy of global governance. Shettima made the statement during a meeting with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. He reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for urgent reform of the UN and said the country would remain a dependable partner in efforts to rebuild trust among nations, defend international law and address hunger, violence and exclusion.

The vice-president praised UN Secretary-General António Guterres for supporting a more representative Security Council. He referred to Guterres’s position that a 21st-century council without permanent African representation was unjust and indefensible. Shettima said Africa should not be expected to bear the burdens of the international order while being denied an equal role in directing it.

He maintained that international institutions needed to become more representative, responsive and credible, with global decisions reflecting contemporary geopolitical and demographic realities. He also commended Guterres for defending international law and human dignity amid widening conflicts and geopolitical tensions. Shettima warned that diplomacy should not lose sight of people affected by war and instability.

Mohammed thanked Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu’s administration for supporting the UN and her work as deputy secretary-general. Shettima was accompanied by several state governors, the foreign affairs minister and Nigeria’s permanent representative to the UN, among other officials.